Blooming
by x.Broken. .Hallelujah.x
Summary: In which Sasuke slowly opens up to Sakura. Post War. Sasusaku
1. The Migraine

_I haven't decided whether I'm going to make a story line to this or a series of one shots or what. But I plan on continuing this in the future and adding Sarada._

 _I hope you enjoy._

 _4/3/17 Edit: Did some small edits. (Fixing grammatical errors/ things that didn't make sense.)_

* * *

It had been a week since Sasuke had returned from his path of redemption. Sakura, still getting over the excitement of having him home, was always pondering just how he felt for her. After their warm goodbye and the occasional letters it still felt awkward not knowing how she belonged in the equation of his life quite yet. He was much warmer; he would acknowledge her, protect her, talked to her. There was tension still whenever they touched, though.

That is why Sakura was shocked to find Sasuke at her door at one in the morning. He had never come to her door so late at night, and her mind pricked with worry for a minute about what might be wrong.

"Sasuke-kun?"

"Uhn," Her voice a bit too loud, causing him to close his eyes and clutch his head, making the guttural sound rise from the back of his throat. She watched as he used his hand to rub one of his temples, and she realized in that instant, _Sasuke has a migraine._

"Does your head hurt, Sasuke-kun?" She said much softer this time, as not to cause him more pain. He approached her and the door slowly until there was an inch of space between them. The proximity almost made her shudder because she could feel his breath fanning her face. She could tell he was withholding a grimace, trying to act like the pain didn't bother him. His silence was a confirmation to her.

"Come in."

She pushed the door behind her open, and turned around to lead him in. She helped him shed himself of his cloak and shoes before leading him wordlessly to her bedroom. Sasuke seemed unaffected of the location, whether because of pain or he trusted her, she was not sure of which. She knew the bed would be the best to heal his head on, but hid her blush from his eyes when her mind tried to wander to other things. He waited for her to move first as she sat at the head of the bed, her legs tucked under her body.

"Come lay down, Sasuke-kun." He obeyed without question, and slowly, with a few winces, settled his head into her lap, the rest of his body sprawled across her bed. She softly brushed his long bangs out of his forehead, revealing his Rinnegan eye.

"How long have you had the migraine, Sasuke-kun?" Remembering to keep her voice as soft as possible.

"About a day now." Their eyes met. She stared down at his features and tried to hide a tingle running up her spine. She almost melted under his smoldering stare, that onyx eye that she could never quite read. Slowly, to avoid him seeing her hand trembling from his intense stare, she laid her hand on his warm forehead.

"Okay, this should take a minute."

His eyes closed and his features relaxed as she began healing his headache. She found it hard to concentrate staring at him. He looked so innocent, despite his age and all he had done, and the skin of his face was surprisingly soft compared to his hands, which were rough and calloused. Long after she healed his head her hand remained. Sasuke had never allowed her to touch him like that outside healing, and she didn't want to stop the moment. He didn't open his eyes, but appeared calm, almost as if he was asleep, but Sakura knew he wasn't.

Before she could comprehend what she was doing, she found herself running her hand through his hair, pushing it back and away from his face. His hair was silky, but thick, and long since he had grown it to cover his eye. She was scared he would be angry, or would stop her and push her away, but surprisingly he relaxed more, almost silently allowing her to touch him.

She stroked his hair for a while before moving downwards to his skin. She trailed her hand softly over his face, afraid to do something wrong. She reveled in the feeling of his skin, memorizing his face by touch. When her hand settled to cupping his jaw she saw his eyes slowly flutter open.

She pulled her hand away as if she was burned, afraid she had done something wrong, but panic soon melted away and he stared at her with a warm, soft gaze.

 _"Thank you"_


	2. The Nightmare

_This took me ages because I was so worried about staying in character for Sasuke, but yet making the transition of Sasuke from accepting affection to returning it on his own accord._

 _As decided I'm making this more like a series of one shots than a continued story. I have not decided on how many more chapters I am doing, at least a couple more I believe._

 _I hope you enjoy._

* * *

It was dark, pitch dark, except for the sky that was littered with hundreds of pinpoint stars. Sakura gazed up at them from her position on her sleeping mat. She could hear the fire softly crackling somewhere near her feet, the heat radiating over her body. It was a chilly night but the fire provided enough heat to give a comfortable sleep, except Sakura was wide awake.

It had been two weeks since Sasuke had returned from his redemption journey and Sakura had fallen back into routine with his ever growing presence in her life. They were growing more comfortable together. Even after that night Sasuke still remained mostly impassive when it came to touch, his features always remaining unmoving, hiding the inner workings of his minds. Although he never drew away from her he still had yet to initiate. His eyes sometimes held a window to his soul though, and his soft gaze was enough to almost make her melt when she was able to provoke it from him.

Somehow she found herself on a mission with the said man, his first since his return. They were alone, just of the two of them, on an escort mission in the land of stone. Having left less than a day ago this would be the first night of the mission.

She couldn't help but glance over at him from her portable bed.

Their beds were only at most ten feet apart, she made it her purpose to set up her bed a little bit closer to his than she would've ever dared before, hoping he wouldn't notice. His face was towards her, deep shadows casting on his features from the soft flickering light of the fire. It was peaceful territory so there was no need for either shinobi to keep watch, and both needed the well-earned rest, but yet Sakura could not seem to tear her eyes away from his peaceful form long enough to sleep, watching his side rise and fall was hypnotic. She couldn't also help but notice how his long wispy lashes almost ghosted his cheeks, and his black arched brows were relaxed. She could never hold back the swell of love she would feel whenever she was gifted with the chance to look at his attractive face.

She remembered how it felt to touch his face; his soft skin splayed out under her small hands. She had to bite back a shiver at the thought. She was brought back to a nostalgic memory from years past where a much younger her stroked his cold skin and sobbed when she thought he was dead, slain by Haku's senbon, from protecting Naruto. She remember his skin was like ice, slick with sweat, blood, and her tears, and marred with wounds. She thought how much she never wished to ever feel his skin that cold again.

Sasuke twitched in his sleep and rolled over, and Sakura stared at the Uchiha crest on his back until she felt the darkness of sleep take hold of her.

* * *

She awoke with a start, the sky still a sea of black. The fire had died down to smoldering ashes, its heat leaving a chill in the air around them. Her eyes slowly blinking away sleep, adjusting to the darkness. She had no idea what time it was and it was hard to accurately tell. Confused at what awoke her, she almost laid down to go back to sleep before she heard it.

It sounded like a muffled groan of agony, like the sound you would make at the feeling of your stomach twisting. She jumped, startled, and suddenly completely alert. Her head traveled to the sound, it came not far to the right of her and she realized it came from his direction, it came from his sleeping mat, it came from him.

She edged out of her own bed, her bare feet touching the cold, wet dew on the ground. She slowly inched towards his bed.

In the dark she could see him tossing and turning, his blanket thrown off him in a fit. His forehead had beads of sweat and his face was contorted into something between a grimace and a scowl.

He had suffered from night terrors most of his life, since the day his clan was slain. It had gotten better with time, even nearly disappearing by the time he was twelve. But since the war they returned with a vengeance, every night on his journey he would wake up screaming or fighting off unseen enemies. It only intensified since he returned to Konoha, leaving him sleepless most nights. He had hid it from everybody. And he would never admit it to anybody, but the night he had come to her door he had the most peaceful night he had had in years. But the pink haired kunoichi standing above him was unaware her effects on him.

He let out a whimper, almost as if he was in pain, the sound resonated through her heart, causing a deep ache. It killed her inside whenever she saw him in pain or upset.

She knelt beside him, her knees resting on the edge of his bed so they didn't freeze on the dewy grass.

He turned towards her, still in the depths of his nightmare, his brow coated with a sheen of sweat.

"Sasuke-kun, it is just a nightmare," she said in a hushed voice.

Her hand reached out to bury itself in his locks, they were matted from sleep and damp with sweat, but still as soft as ever. She stroked them slowly, brushing his hairline, trying to calm him back into a peaceful slumber. His face relaxed after a few minutes, calming down. But she was not prepared for what happened next.

His eyes slowly opened, and her hand stilled, caught in the act. His expression was unreadable as she watched the sleep leave his eyes.

He jerked away at the unexpected situation, feeling ashamed of being caught in such a vulnerable state. He normally would never deny her when she touched him, but he did not want any pity, especially from her. He flashed her a cornered, annoyed look before turning his body away, his teeth gritting and a scowl set on his face. His distorted face calmed though to guilt when he felt a pained noise escape the back of her throat.

Now matter how much he willed the feeling away since they were genin, he could never escape the fact that whenever he was with her he would feel whole. Her smile, her brightness, her love. Her happiness and her feminine scent never ceased to calm him into a completely relaxed state when he was near enough. How he felt when he was around her was sometimes so intense that when they were genin he sometimes found himself purposefully avoiding her because she made him lose focus of his goal of revenge. It annoyed him to no end and made him almost hate her for it. Whenever he would see her injured and cry he would always want nothing more than to protect her, and whenever she touched him he had to restrain himself not to lean into her. She could persuade him to do things that he would protest with anyone else.

She reminded him of his mom, the woman he always viewed as everything pure in the world until he witness her blood spattering on the ground. Her love for her children was always unconditional. He thought how, even with all he had done, if he had been able to meet his mother again, she would still accept him with open arms. The thought reminded him of the pink-haired kunoichi, how she stood by him no matter what, loved him even when he had hurt her and threatened to destroy her home.

Tears welled up in her eyes, threatening to spill over. She lowered her head, letting her hair hide her sadness, which still could not escape the Sharingan, which had made its appearance when he first opened his eyes.

She moved to stand, wishing that she wasn't on a mission with him so she would be able to run far away. She was trapped for nearly another week with him and she had ruined everything. Regret panged in her chest, thinking that Sasuke now hated her, and how she could wish she could turn back time, turning around in her bed and forcing herself to ignore his distress. She swimming thoughts were ground to a halt when she felt a rough hand grabbing the crook of her elbow, causing her to stiffen and stop all movement.

"Stay," he said, his deep voice had undertones of pleading.

She looked up at him, shock written all over her face. The jerking up causing the tears on the edges of her eyes to spill over and slip down her cheeks. Before he could control himself, his hand was reaching up to brush them away. The action surprised even himself. All those years of suppressing such actions, initiating felt awkward and strange. He frowned when it only invoked more tears to fall from her emerald eyes.

"Sorry," She mumbled, brushing away the fresh ones herself this time.

"What do you have to be sorry about?" His voice was low, somewhere between a grumble and a growl, and it caused her to shudder.

The staring was growing intense, his eyes now returned back to obsidian, and Sakura was beginning to get lost in his gaze. She reached for his face again and this time he didn't pull away. Her other hand reached for his and their fingers entwined.

Her fingers brushed his lips and his eyes closed. She considered what it would feel like to have his lips against hers, wanting nothing more than to lean forward and try. But she didn't push her luck and settled for their locked hands. She didn't want to spook Sasuke by moving to fast and risk him pushing her away, she wanted him to be comfortable with her.

She laid down, not sure how close she dared get, still connected by their hands as he settled a few inches away from her under the same covers.

She could tell he was getting heavy with sleep again. She reached up to brush his bangs out of his face again so she could stare at his relaxed face as she slowly drifted off too.


End file.
